INTRODUCTION

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They can
communicate not only realistic information. and for the deepening of one’s understanding of the
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. or as an escape from life’s problems. but must be considered and
interpreted in a new way by every generation. To make it meaningful to their readers they not only record. in
literature we are confronted with the most fundamental issues in life. but the study of literature offers the
opportunity for the widening of one’s horizons. of love and loneliness. On the contrary. of desire and fulfillment.
The study of literature cannot be dismissed as a pastime for the
dilettante.
Literature is concerned with the very stuff of everyone’s experience. for the refinement of
one’s sensibilities. but
contemplate and interpret the experience. it is known as literature. They can convey
thoughts and emotional experiences through the written word. but also pass this
information on to succeeding generations who can obtain the benefits
of this knowledge and experience of the past.
which can never be finally solved. Through the mighty instrument of
language human being can change their environment.
and it is in this quality of universality that its value lies. it may still have
something to say about the common human experiences of birth and
death. Even though a
literary work is many hundreds of years old. It may still
comment meaningfully on problems as old as humans themselves. It is doubtful whether the
mere fact that someone is acquainted with literature will inevitably
make a better person of him. When an artistic form is
created through the medium of language. and do
so in a manner that is aesthetically satisfying to them and in an artistic
form. INTRODUCTION
Literature is the art of language.

Beirut:
Sharika Dar al-Arqam bi al-Arqam. Robin. Cape Town: Nasou Limited. many advanced and prosperous societies developed
in various Middle East cities. Arabic
literature is normally divided into historical periods. Following the rise and
expansion of Islam. (n.1-2. for example. mainly to facilitate study and research. Muhammad Mahmud.
Arabic literature is generally divided into shi’r (poetry) and nathr
(prose). pp. the sermon. the epistle. p. The Islamic period – starting from the beginning of Islam and
ending with the establishment of the Umawi (Umayyad) dynasty in 41
AH (661 AD).). (n. Muhammad
Mahmud al-Bawi.12.
3. human condition1.
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. A‘maliqa al-Adab al-Arabi al-Muathir. distinguishes the following six periods:
1.
2
Al-Bawi. and literary criticism. narrative).
the maqama. Marie & Lawton. Nathr is in turn classified into nathr fanni masju‘ (artistic
rhymed prose). The Owl Critic: An Introduction to Literary
Criticism.). The Umayyad period – starting from 41 AH and ending with the rise
of the Abbasi (Abbasid) dynasty in 132 AH (750 AD). The Abbasid period – starting from the fall of the Umayyad dynasty
in 132 AH and ending with the invasion of Baghdad by the Mongols in
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Heese. The type of great interest to us will be nathr fanni
masju‘ because it includes the social essay. nathr mursal (unrhymed prose) and nathr ‘ilmi
(scientific prose)2.d. They gave expression in a language and
literature of great variety and sophistication.
long. The period before Islam – also known as the Jahiliyya period –
which stretched back to about one hundred and fifty years before the
dawn of Islam. the play. the story (short.
4.
Furthermore.d.
2.
Arabic is a language that has a literary culture which is
conspicuous by its continuity and richness. the biography and autobiography.

The Uthmani (Ottoman) and Mamluk (Mameluke) periods – these
periods followed the fall of Baghdad and lasted until the ‘modern era’. Other sources discuss the development in the whole Arab world
generally. cit. Nicholson. Gibb. Muhammad Abu al-
Anwar.
5. Abu al-Anwar very briefly traces the
development of the Arabic essay until the appearance of al-Manfaluti. op. Buqari discusses
life in Egypt during the 19th century and its role in the development of
the short story and the maqama. The modern period – the period that started roughly with
Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 17983. authors.
Arabic works that discuss these genres (their development. Khouri
and Algar. etcetera) – and in Egypt specifically – are.qissa al-Arabiyya fi Misr by Hamza Muhammad
Buqari.
6. al-Adab al-Arabi al-Mu’athir fi Misr by Dr. Shawqi Daif. Qasim) will be mentioned as we go along. and
the way in which Western literature influenced Arab writers. Shawqi Daif and
al-Manfaluti Imam al-Bayan al-Arabi by Dr.
amongst others.10-11. He is the only author who
gives due justice to the role that the press had played in the
development of modern Arabic literature. contain information that others do not. Le Gassick. again. enigma and obscurity (saj‘ and badi‘).
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. its struggle to rid literature of
artificiality and forcedness.
characteristics..
the rest of his book is about the life of al-Manfaluti and some of his
essays. Our
endeavor will be to coordinate and integrate all these different aspects
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Al-Bawi. pp. Badawi. Invariably they also highlight certain aspects at the expense
of others – and these ‘others’ may be equally important – and. al. Goldziher. Some of them (by. 656 AH (1258 AD). firstly writes about the history of Egypt
before and after Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign to put the development
of Arabic poetry and prose in perspective.
for example. due to
their brevity.

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Ibid. (1971).135. Badawi. Modern Arabic Literature 1800-1970. in order to present a comprehensive and clear image of the development
of the Arabic essay and short story. Karr’s Le Tilleul. Haywood (1971).
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.M. p. New York: St. 1800
– 1970 by John A. The account of the
appearance of the novel in Egypt by H. It deals with the development of
poetry and prose in the Arab countries that produced significant
literature at the time. Gibb (The Egyptian Novel.
The book in the English language that gives a general overview of
the development of Arabic literature is Modern Arabic Literature. A. He only mentions al-Manfaluti’s
adaptations of “several French Romantic novels – Paul et Virginie. Another book Critical Introduction to Modern
Arabic Poetry (1974).
Haywood elaborates in his book about al-Manfaluti as a novelist
and essayist in a subsequent chapter. endeavor to deal
with them in greater detail. also gives an overview. A. Martin’s
Press. its main focus is on poetry. but as
the title suggests. This will in turn help us to
understand his literary methodology as well as why he chose to
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Haywood. by M. but for our purpose we shall restrict the overview
to prose in Egypt. or general factors
related to the period in which he lived.135. p. but Haywood quotes Gibb
speaking of the “great variety and satisfaction to be enjoyed in classical
Arabic literature” and of the fact that “Egyptians with modern
education could read French and English novels in the original”4.
The chief aim for writing about Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti is to
study the different factors which influenced him. of course. We.
Coppee’s Pour la Couronne.. and Rostand’s
Cyrano de Bergerac among them”5. whether special
factors related to the position of his family or friends. J.
published in 1933 as part of his Studies in Contemporary Arabic
Literature) we could unluckily not find.

writing about
gambling. he called for reconciliation. (2000). and why his
essays and short stories.
Cairo: al-Dar al-Misriyya al-Lubnaniyya. Muhammad Abu. In everything he
wrote. not forgetting also the dangers
and drawbacks of living in the past with its stagnation. It will
also be an aid in understanding why he preferred to write on the topics
which he did.
Al-Manfaluti was primarily a writer of social issues. and at the same time we shall understand why his literary
style is regarded as innovative. He involved himself with
revealing the vices and shortcomings of his nation. for example. dancing. He started out with
poetry and then started to write short stories. excelled in treating social issues
of the day. who lived
solely for the concerns of his society. and about the nature of the battles between the
conservatives and the reformists. p. suicide. Al-
Manfaluti was the only writer who enchanted the Arabic populace with
his new literary bayan (eloquent and clear rhetoric). bribery in government
departments. 1st edition. the liberation of thought
from the chains of imitation and the judicious and erudite use of the
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Al-Anwar. his aim was to fill the ever-widening gap in the Islamic society
and in doing so.
Mustafa Lutfi al-Manfaluti was famous for the literary articles
which he wrote in the newspaper al-Mu’ayyad from 1907 onwards.
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. Dr. drukenness. His most memorable feat can be summarized as being ‘a teacher
of manners (mu’allim al-akhlaq). concentrate on that specific form of literature and not on another.7. a caller to virtue (da’i al-fadila) and a
leader in promoting social welfare (qa’id al-islah)’6. original and so effective. and about some of Western
civilization’s evil and immoral aspects. innovation = metaphoric
style). becoming the liberator of
literature from difficult saj‘ (rhymed prose – a passage in saj‘ is said to
be masju‘) and awkward badi‘ (literally. Al-Manfaluti: Imam al-Bayan al-Arabi.